A pilot speech is the usual way to get your flight underway. But a United Airlines pilot speech at the weekend resulted in the pilot herself being removed from the flight deck and the aircraft itself. Some result.

A teleprompter freeze can be a problem for any public speaker. But when you might be chasing a nomination for the Presidential elections in 2016 it can be a calamity as Sarah Palin found out last week in Des Moines.

Only a year ago we noted how Hillary Clinton had reached the public speaking dizzy heights of $200,000 for a speech. Now there’s a story about a Hillary Clinton speech earning her $250,000 for speaking at the University of Connecticut that has sparked concern about the university’s budget.

Each and every year America’s approach to freedom of speech is tested in State schools when students give salutatorian speeches in defiance of their school principals. Typically this ends in trouble for the students as they are barred from their exam results.